Ramen specialists Monohon to launch first offering in London

Monohon, a ramen concept founded by Ian Wheatley, is to open its first permanent site in London. The 1,400 square foot restaurant, split over ground floor and basement, will open later this year at 102 Old Street.

After living and working in Japan during the 1990’s, Wheatley developed a passion for the country’s food and culture, and returned in 2013 to study making authentic ramen. He created Monohon, which means ‘the real thing’ in Japanese.

Monohon’s menu will feature authentic ramen dishes including Abura Soba, which has been their most popular dish during their run of sell out pop-ups over the last year. The new site will have space for approximately 30 covers.

Ian Wheatley, founder of Monohon, said: “There is a strong lunch and dinner crowd in the area that we look forward to engaging with. Old Street has changed so much in the last 20 years but still has a good energy and I think the Clerkenwell side of the roundabout is about to develop rapidly and match the Shoreditch side. It is very exciting to be a part of that.”

Specialist UK leisure property agency, Shelley Sandzer, acted on behalf of the assignor in the deal. Tony Levine at Shelley Sandzer, said: “We identified Monohon as an ideal operator for this location, adjacent to the popular and vibrant Whitecross Street, where there is very high footfall during the day due to the many surrounding offices. Ian has tremendous passion for ramen and we are sure they will be extremely successful here.”

Shelley Sandzer provides advice to many of the UK’s most highly regarded restaurant brands, centres, developments and high streets. The company is also known for the key role it plays in launching new entrants and unique concepts to the market, such as Honey & Co., Xtend Barre, Berber and Q and MOD Pizza.